Abortion

Religious and non-religious people do not all reach the same conclusion. Some oppose abortion because they believe unborn human life must be protected from conception. Others believe abortion can be justified in particular circumstances. Supporting a legal right to choose does not necessarily mean thinking that every abortion is morally right.

Catholic Christianity: protecting life from conception

The Catholic Church teaches that human life should be protected from conception. This connects with the sanctity of life: life is sacred because it comes from God, rather than gaining its value from health, ability or whether someone is wanted.

Genesis 1:27 teaches that humans are created in God's image. Catholics apply this special value to unborn human life. The commandment, ‘You shall not murder’ (Exodus 20:13), also supports their opposition to deliberately ending innocent human life. Pope John Paul II described direct abortion as a ‘grave moral disorder’.

Catholic teaching therefore rejects direct abortion, whether ending the pregnancy is the aim itself or the means of achieving another aim. A difficult family situation or a diagnosis of disability does not remove the unborn child's value. This view can encourage support for pregnant women and families, and adoption where someone does not wish to raise a child.

When the mother's life is at risk: the Catholic distinction

Catholic opposition to direct abortion does not mean that a mother must be denied every treatment that could harm her unborn child. The distinction is between deliberately ending unborn life and treating a serious illness when the loss of the pregnancy is a foreseen but unintended consequence.

For example, imagine a woman in early pregnancy who has life-threatening cancer of the uterus. If urgent removal of the diseased uterus is necessary to save her, Catholic teaching can permit the operation under the principle of double effect, even though the pregnancy cannot survive.

The action treats the cancer; the child's death is not intended and is not the means by which the mother is saved. There must also be a sufficiently serious reason for accepting the harmful consequence. This is different from saying that any abortion becomes acceptable if its eventual outcome benefits the mother. The intention and the way the benefit is achieved both matter.

Other Christian views: limited exceptions and compassion

The Church of England combines strong opposition to abortion with recognition that, in strictly limited circumstances, it may be morally preferable to the alternatives. Some Christians describe this as choosing the lesser of two evils: accepting a tragic outcome to avoid an even worse one.

A pregnancy that threatens the mother's life is an important example. A Christian may reason that the mother's life is also sacred and that saving her is preferable to allowing both mother and unborn child to die. Some Christians may also consider severe suffering associated with a serious foetal condition, although disability alone does not mean that someone cannot have a fulfilling life.

Compassion is another influence. Jesus' teaching to ‘Love your neighbour as yourself’ (Mark 12:31) can encourage Christians to consider the mother's circumstances and offer practical care. It can support a limited exception for some Christians, while others understand it as a duty to support both mother and unborn child without permitting abortion. Christian teaching on forgiveness also encourages care rather than rejection of someone who has had an abortion.

Islam: sacred life and ensoulment

Muslims believe that life is given by Allah and should be protected. The Qur'an warns, ‘Do not kill your children’ and describes their killing as a great sin (17:31). Many Muslims apply this teaching to abortion and therefore oppose it.

Ensoulment, when the developing human is understood to receive a soul, is important in many Islamic discussions. Many Muslims associate this with 120 days after conception. Views differ between scholars and traditions: before this point, some permit abortion for serious reasons, such as a severe foetal condition, while others take a more restrictive view. It is not simply unrestricted choice before 120 days.

After ensoulment, opposition is generally stronger. Nevertheless, saving the mother's life is widely recognised as an exceptional reason for permitting abortion, including after this point. The mother's established life is given priority over the developing life dependent on her. This exception concerns danger to her life, not merely an unwanted pregnancy.

Humanist views: evidence, wellbeing and choice

Humanists do not rely on divine commands to decide whether abortion is right. They typically consider evidence, empathy, human rights and the wellbeing of those affected. There is no single compulsory humanist answer, but many support access to safe, legal abortion and a woman's right to make decisions about her own body.

A humanist may consider whether continuing the pregnancy threatens the woman's life, whether it followed rape, or whether she can provide the support a child would need. The humanist philosopher Richard Norman argues that respect for life and respect for people's considered choices are closely connected, rather than necessarily opposing values.

Many humanists also distinguish the potential person a foetus may become from a person already living a life with relationships, memories and plans. This is a philosophical position, not an agreed conclusion about the foetus's moral status. It helps explain why they may give greater weight to the woman's autonomy and welfare while still regarding abortion as a serious decision.

These beliefs influence campaigning for safe, legal access and support for people making pregnancy decisions. Many humanists argue that restricting legal abortion can lead to unsafe procedures rather than preventing abortions altogether.

Comparing responses to a life-threatening pregnancy

When a mother's life is at risk, different approaches may lead to support for saving her but give different reasons. Some Christians permit abortion as the lesser of two evils; many Muslims recognise a life-saving exception; and many humanists emphasise her welfare and autonomy. Catholic teaching instead distinguishes direct abortion from necessary treatment whose unintended consequence is the loss of unborn life.

In contemporary British society, legal permission and moral approval are separate questions. In England, Scotland and Wales, abortion is generally available under specified legal conditions up to 24 weeks, with later abortions permitted on particular grounds, including danger to the mother's life. Someone may still oppose a legally permitted abortion, or support legal choice while personally choosing not to have one.